Happy Christmas in July! Welcome to the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway, which runs July 15-22, 2022 (contest closes at 8 p.m. Eastern on 7/22). At the bottom of each author’s blog post, you will find the name of a Christmas song. Write them all down and provide the provide all song titles (26 in total) on this Google form. Click here for a list of all participating authors and their links!

Note: You must grab all the song titles from every author in the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway to be eligible to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card, plus a copy of each participating author's book OR first place prize of a copy of each participating author's book. At the end of this blog post is a link to the next blog, and so on, to the final blog post (26 authors in all). 

While researching for my Christmas release, Time Will Tell, I came across this interesting word: horologist. Actually, I was looking for it, if that makes sense. I needed to know what a person was called who built and repaired timepieces, as that was integral to my story.

The word itself comes from horology, which means “the study the measurement of time”, and has been expanded to horologist, or those who study the measurement of time. Interestingly enough, watches and clocks aren’t the only methods of keeping track of time. We also use sundials, hourglasses, atomic clocks, and many other ways to count the seconds, minutes, and hours that seem so precious.

In my book, Time Will Tell, I created a fictional group called the Colorado Horologist Association because I needed somebody who would tell my heroine that she couldn’t work without a man supervising her. Some states and countries actually have such a group that made up the rules of how their guild would operate, and particularly during the time of my story, 1889, many decided only men could be members.

Another fun fact about this series is that all the shops in the series are situated below the street level of Pueblo, Colorado. This is based in some fact that there were actually businesses down there, although not all owned by women as in our series. In reality, many towns and cities in Colorado boast subterranean shops and areas below ground which can still be visited today, although currently few are still active.

About Time Will Tell:

Sadie Bauer inherits her father’s watch and clock repair shop in the Mall beneath Main Street, Pueblo. However, she soon learns that Fate conspires against her operating this business and keeping her father’s memory alive.

Will O’Reilly, recently dismissed for fighting, longs to help this beautiful damsel in distress, but she’s about as prickly as a porcupine. He’d like their relationship to be more than employer-employee, but if she learns of their connection through their ex-fiances, she might not want to have anything to do with him.

Can Sadie overcome her mistrust of men in general, and of a certain suave salesman in particular? Can Will get past his former betrothed’s infidelity? And can both learn to trust the God who makes all things beautiful in His time?

Question: What is/was your occupation? Leave a comment on this blog post, and please include your email address, cleverly disguised like this: donna AT livebytheword DOT com so I can notify you if you're a winner.

And while you're poking around on my blog, feel free to subscribe so you get an email telling you when I have a new blog post ready for you. AND if you'd stop by and subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, I'll send you two free ebooks!

Now, it’s time for my Christmas song title: Rocking Around The Christmas Tree

Save the holiday song titles from each of the 26 blog stops, and when you reach the final blog, enter all the song titles on this form for a chance to win the grand prize of a $520 Amazon gift card and a copy of each participating author's featured book OR first prize of a copy of each participating author's featured book.

Thank you so much for visiting! The next author on the tour is Anne Greene

and her Christmas book Love At Christmas. You can find it at this link: http://anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com/

Remember, the 2022 Christmas in July Reader Blog Tour & Giveaway ends July 22 at 8 PM EST!